Automated interpretation of the pulmonary function test by a portable spirometer in Chinese adults

Abstract

Abstract Introduction A portable spirometer is a promising alternative to a traditional pulmonary function test (PFT) spirometer for respiratory function evaluation. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of automated interpretation of the PFT measured by a portable Yue Cloud spirometer in Chinese adults. Methods The PFT was performed to evaluate subjects prospectively enrolled at Ruijin Hospital (n = 220). A Yue Cloud spirometer and a conventional Jaeger MasterScreen device were applied to each patient with a 20‐min quiescent period between each measurement. Pulmonary function parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory flow at 25%, 50%, and 75% of the FVC (MEF25, MEF50, and MEF75, respectively), and maximal mid‐expiratory flow (MMEF), were compared by correlation analyses and Bland–Altman methods. The Yue Cloud spirometer automatically interpreted the PFT results, and a conventional strategy was performed to interpret the PFT results obtained by the Jaeger machine. Concordance of the categorization of pulmonary dysfunction, small airway dysfunction, and severity was analyzed by the kappa (κ) statistic. Results Significantly similar correlations of all variables measured with the two spirometers were observed (all p 0.80). Conclusion The portable Yue Cloud spirometer not only yields reliable measurements of pulmonary function but also can automatically interpret the PFT results.

Keywords

• automated interpretation
• concordance
• portable spirometer
• pulmonary function test